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PPonte
Would someone explain me, please, the sentence in bold?
My doubt is why signals jumping from node to node travel hundreds of times faster than signals traveling along the surface of the axon.
Some axons are wrapped in a myelin sheath formed from the plasma membranes of specialized glial cells known as Schwann cells. Schwann cells serve as supportive, nutritive, and service facilities for neurons. The gap between Schwann cells is known as the node of Ranvier, and serves as points along the neuron for generating a signal. Signals jumping from node to node travel hundreds of times faster than signals traveling along the surface of the axon. This allows your brain to communicate with your toes in a few thousandths of a second.
The nervous system is responsible for controlling and coordinating the body's functions and activities. It receives and interprets information from the senses, processes and stores information, and sends signals to the muscles and glands to initiate responses.
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord, while the PNS consists of all the nerves that extend from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.
The nervous system communicates through electrical and chemical signals. Electrical signals, called action potentials, travel along neurons within the nervous system. Chemical signals, called neurotransmitters, are released from the axon terminals of neurons and travel across the synapse to stimulate or inhibit other neurons or target cells.
The brain is the control center of the nervous system. It receives and processes information from the senses, initiates and coordinates motor responses, and is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and emotion. The brain also regulates basic bodily functions, such as breathing and heart rate.
The nervous system develops through a process called neurogenesis. This involves the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of stem cells into neurons and glial cells. This process begins during fetal development and continues throughout life, allowing the nervous system to adapt and change in response to experiences and stimuli.